Homegrown paradise for foodies at the Beaumont Farmer’s Market

Some produce vendors at the Beaumont Farmer's Market have a long line of customers starting at 8 a.m. every Saturday morning. Beth Rankin/cat5

Small towns pride themselves on building and maintaining relationships, whether they are personal, business, or hobby oriented. But what about building a relationship with the community whose life work is based on providing us with wholesome, unadulterated goods that we can use morning, noon and night?

That’s right, I’m talking about our food. No, not those neatly wrapped packages of unnaturally colored sweets or those four rows of every-cereal-you-could-ever-imagine. I’m talking about real, honest to goodness, fresh food from a local grower.

“Get to know your farmer” provides the succinct yet powerful message that Beaumont Farmers Market co-founders Becki Stedman and Sarah Parmer want to get across to the local community.

“It is very important to develop a relationship with your grower,” Stedman said. “The farmers market can grow and expand as the farmer’s relationship with the customers expands.”

Because of this successfully symbiotic relationship, customers can even request what sort of produce they would like to buy for the next season.

For those looking to get more out of their meals — and to connect more with what they eat and the people who grow it — here are a few helpful hints:

Arrive early. The market opens at 8 a.m. and there is no dilly-dallying around — these market-goers are serious about their fresh food. The moment the market opens, the parking lot is full and the lines at the produce stands are already long. Although it officially shuts down at 11 a.m., most stands are picked through by 9 a.m.

Be flexible. The produce and products may change from week to week, since the local weather, soil and customer demand affect each week’s harvest. But then again, the variety is exactly what is so enticing. Although there is always a base of the same fresh products, there is also a plethora of rotating products to spice up the selection.

Be a good student. Ask questions. Strike up a conversation with the vendors. They are ready (and very willing) to clue you in on their farming and gardening practices. You may even get lucky and get an idea for a new recipe.

Always bring small bills. Trust us, it’s easier.

If you’re looking to expand your foodie repertoire, here are a few vendors we recommend:

Pure Milk Farms
Family owned and operated, this is a State Licensed Grade A Raw Milk. A small herd of pasture-fed Jersey cows provide the pure, completely natural (no pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, antibiotics or chemicals) milk. Products include milk by the gallon and half-gallon, cream by the quart, yogurt and some of the richest ice cream to ever cross your lips. Check them out at Puremilkfarms.com.

Chef Bill Fults, owner of Stone Table Foods, sets out a few examples of the flash-frozen gourmet meals he sells at his website StoneTableFoods.com. Meal ingredients are sourced from grass-fed beef, locally grown produce and free range poultry. Beth Rankin/cat5

Stone Table Foods, LLC
Owner Bill Fults turns the idea of a frozen meal on its head, churning out chef-prepared meals that are vibrant in both flavor and color, responsibly sourced and prepared with the health and flavor conscious in mind. All meals are gluten and dairy free, all meats are grass-fed and free range and all produce is sustainable and local.

With menu items such as slow-cooked beef shoulder with cauliflower rice and cumin-scented sweet potato puree, your taste buds will be delighted. All meals are prepared in kitchen, flash-frozen and vacuum-sealed, keeping in both flavor, freshness and nutrients.

Check out stonetablefoods.com for meal package options. Order online then pick up from Fults at the farmers market.

Dan the Chicken Man
This guy knows his eggs and he’s there each were selling fresh brown chicken and duck eggs. A real foodie knows the value of farm-fresh eggs.

This Saturday, grab your basket and some friends and head out to the farmers market. Don’t worry. If your hangover makes you sleep through it, there’s always next week.